Daily red meat consumption 'could heighten heart problems'

People could be increasing their body's risk of contracting heart problems by indulging in red meat on a daily basis.

A study carried out by the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston has suggested that as little as two rashes of bacon per day raises the threat of dying from heart disease or cancer by 20 per cent.

In order to reach this conclusion, the research group monitored more than 120,000 men and women over a 30-year period.

During this time, around 24,000 of the individuals died, with the researchers estimating that between 7.6 per cent and 9.3 per cent of cases could have been avoided if they had consumed half the amount of red meat each day of their lives.